


Changes

by Kagemirai



Category: Nurarihyon no Mago | Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Nura Rihan Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-15 21:27:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16071677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kagemirai/pseuds/Kagemirai
Summary: That night when Rikuo went to save his friends from a collapsed tunnel he gave up his humanity. If he couldn't led the night parade as a human, he would as a yokai. The only problem was after it was done he didn't turn back. Words have power and those simple words changed everything.





	1. Arc 1 - Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea while I was working on something else and I just had to do it. I thought it would be fun if Rihan survived, the blade missing his heart, and if Rikuo gave up his humanity. I hope you enjoy this. The first part is taken directly from the manga but after that things have been modified to suit my needs and subsequent parts will be the same way, either changed from the manga or original. Please let me know what you think and enjoy.

The past few days had not been good for Rikuo. Hiss  _ friends,  _ his  _ human  _ friends, had made fun of him, had ridiculed him, and all because he said that yokai were good, that he lived with them, that they actually existed. Before that he had wanted nothing more than to be the Third Heir, to lead the night parade when he got older, but now, now he just didn’t want the humans to hate him, didn’t want them to despise him.

He wished his father was here, he had left the main house for a few days, there was some clan business that he needed to take care of. A few years ago, his father had nearly been killed in front of him. It was pure luck that the blade had missed his heart, that the killing blow had been just slightly off and had missed everything vital. The young girl who was responsible had escaped with the sword, believing her murderous task to be completed, but Rikuo felt extremely fortunate that his father had survived.

Now he just wanted to go home but after the day he had and even Kana refusing to believe him, he hadn’t wanted to ride the bus. It had shown him that they hated yokai, that they were afraid of them, and that maybe it was better if he just never said anything ever again. So now he was walking, at least it helped clear his head even though it was a long walk home.

“Master Rikuo!” A crow yokai swooped down to hover in front of him, “come, let’s go home.”

Rikuo was going to protest, he really was, but without another word Karasu-Tengu picked him up by his backpack and flew into the air, “hey!”

“For goodness sake, Master Rikuo, you were so late that I had to come find you. I can’t believe you thought you could walk all that way. From now on, I’m going to make sure you have an escort, whether you like it or not!”

He sighed, hanging limp in the straps of his backpack, “Karasu-Tengu, am I human or not?” It was a question that had been plaguing him all day, he lived with yokai, did that mean he was one?

“What? Well now, your mother and grandmother were human…”

Rikuo looked up at him, “I know!”

Karasu-Tengu ignored his interruption, “...but you have the supreme commander's blood as well which means you’re one quarter yokai.”

Rikuo scowled slightly, “one quarter yokai?”

“Exactly. You should feel proud!”

The moment they landed within the walls of the compound they were swarmed by yokai. The bus that he usually took, the one that he refused to get on that afternoon, was trapped in a tunnel. Kana, his friends, they were all trapped. He had to do something, anything, he looked at the yokai gathered and made a decision.

“I’ve got to help them.” He turned and started running for the gate that led outside.

“Where are you going at this hour?!”

“Someone get my shoes! Isn’t it obvious? I have to go save Kana! Come on! Aotabo! Kurotabo! Everyone!”

The yokai in question were immediately on their feet, ready to follow him, “y-yes, sir!”

“Wait! Stay where you are!” One of the clan heads spoke, although in all honesty he really had no mouth to speak with so Rikuo wasn’t exactly sure how he managed it.

“Mokugyo-Daruma…?” All eyes were immediately on the yokai in question.

“It is forbidden, for yokai to aid humans is an abomination!”

Aotabo scowled at him, “why?”

“Do you really think we yokai can follow an order like that?”

Of course he did, why would he have ordered it otherwise? Rikuo just didn’t understand what the problem was.

“The Nura Syndicate rules the yokai world! We cannot unleash pandemonium at the whim of a human!” He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Rikuo.

They all looked at him in shock but it was Aotabo who spoke, “Lord Daruma! It’s the master’s orders! It’s disrespectful to ignore them!”

“Disrespectful? Hmph. Have you forgotten that the mandate of the Nura Clan is to bring Fear? Yokai exist to instil Fear in humans and now you want to help them? Ridiculous!”

“You jerk!” Aotabo was in his face, ready to fight.

Rikuo felt hot, nothing was going how he wanted, everything was falling apart before his eyes. If he had to he would take care of it himself but he needed to stop this before they destroyed something first, “that’s enough!” He shouted, “there’s no time for this. I’ve got no time for your foolish logic, Mokugyo-Daruma.” He felt different, as though he was changing, “listen, all of you. If you won’t listen because I’m a human, will you listen to a yokai?” He paused, eyes narrowed at them. Everything seemed sharper, his vision, his mind, “yes? Then I cast off my humanity.” He would do whatever it took to save them, he would give up on being human, give up on going back to school, but he would save them, “all of you, follow me.”

“Master?! Wait!” Daruma pleaded, looking at him in shock and surprise. How had Rikuo changed so much over the course of mere seconds? He no longer looked human, he looked like his father, like his grandfather, like a yokai.

“Lord Mokugyo-Daruma…” Kubinashi, another yokai that had no neck, came up behind him, looking like he had something important to say.

“I’m busy! Tell me later.”

Kubinashi ignored his protest, pressing on, “the fact that Lord Rikuo’s bus was involved means he was targeted by an assassin or…”

“Master! We of the Nura Clan main family will follow you!” Aotabo shouted, fists clenched in preparation for a fight.

“Hey! I was going to say that first!” Kurotabo protested, looking at his companion.

Rikuo looked himself over, he really had changed, everything about him down to his clothing. He was wearing a black kimono, a blue haori, and sandals, “tonight, my blood boils.” He felt full of energy, ready to face whatever was waiting for him in that tunnel.

“I told you, Lord Rikuo, that’s your yokai blood.” Karasu-Tengu stated.

“My blood?”

“Your grandfather’s, your father’s. Master Rikuo, we are yours to command because you have the Supreme Commander’s blood coursing through your veins. One quarter is enough to inherit his legacy!”

It felt strange, different, but good, so very good. He felt strong, powerful, as though he could do anything, and with the night parade at his back he knew that he wouldn’t have to face what was to come alone. That night he killed for the first time. The traitor, Gagoze, met his end at the edge of his blade. As the sun rose, filling the collapsed tunnel with light, he turned disappearing with the night parade into the mists of morning.

 

-Break-

 

After receiving news about what happened in the tunnel and Gagoze, Rihan returned home immediately. He didn’t bother to finish his negotiations, didn’t worry about how this would reflect on the clan, no, his thoughts were on his son and what he had gone through. This wouldn’t have happened if he had been home. Gagoze never would have had the gaul to go through with it if Rihan had been there. He slid open the doors, slipping his shoes off before stepping inside.

Even though the young man sitting in the meeting room with his father didn’t  _ look _ like the son he had left behind he knew that it was him. He looked older and his hair swooped to the side with white on top and black beneath. It looked much like his father’s had when he was in his prime. He was wearing a black kimono and when he looked up his eyes were red instead of their usual soft brown.

“Rikuo,” he looked at his father, “what happened, old man?” He moved to his son’s side, kneeling down and gently cupping his face, “I came as soon as I got word of what happened.”

“Do you think we haven't been trying to figure out what happened?” Nurarihyon asked, looking at his son and grandson, “he's been this way since he took the night parade out and took care of Gagoze.”

“Mokugyo-Daruma tried to stop me, he said I couldn't do it because I was human,” Rikuo paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, “so I said that I would just not  _ be _ human anymore.”

Rihan closed his eye for a moment before turning his golden gaze back to his son, “words have a power of their own and it seems as though your words in that moment have, at the very least, sealed off your humanity.” He released his hold on him, sitting down fully, “I doubt you can just say the words and take it back.”

Rikuo looked at him like he was crazy, “why would I want to?” He asked, “I don't want to go back to how things were. Dad, they mocked me, they were mean to me, and I still saved them. I would do it again.” He said quickly, seeing the slightly worried look on his father's face, “I won't allow anyone to hurt humans but I don't want to go back to the way I was before. I don't want to go back to school.”

Nurarihyon let out a huff before laughing, “it doesn't really look like you could even go to school like that in the first place. Besides, isn't it past time you stopped coddling him, Rihan. He chose this, it was his decision, if his declaration of intent in that tunnel was true he needs to be taught.” He paused, looking thoughtful, “I want to talk to you about something, later, but for now, let the boy be who he wants to be.”

His son had made a decision it seemed, had chosen to be yokai of his own volition, and who was he to deny his son's wishes? His own father was right, Rikuo needed to be taught, quickly. Especially about how to use his fear. In raising him as a human he had neglected the part of him that was yokai. Perhaps that was a grave miscalculation on his part but he had wanted his son to be able to choose, to not be put under any pressure. He had wanted him to be able to make decisions for himself and if Rikuo wanted to be a part of the human world it was his place, as his father, to support that choice. The end result was this, his son had chosen, and had chosen the side he was woefully unprepared for. They had time to fix it, plenty of time to teach him, and he knew his son was a fast learner, he would pick up on it in no time. Now he just had to explain everything to his wife.

“Has Wakana seen this yet?” Rihan asked, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

Rikuo shook his head, “no, we kept it a secret. No one outside of the ones who went with me know what happened. We wanted to wait until you got back.”

Rihan couldn't help but laugh, “so everyone knows. I'm sure the heads are quite pleased with this whole thing.”

Rikuo scowled at him, “why?”

“Because, as I tried to tell my idiot son, raising you like a human was a stupid idea. It wasn't just Gagoze that was against you becoming the Third.” Nurarihyon said, pulling out his pipe, “I'm going to go get something to eat, the two of you can go have a nice talk with Wakana, I'm sure she's heard quite a few tales already, better set the record straight.” He got to his feet and left the two of them alone in the meeting room.

“Dad, you're not disappointed, are you?” He asked, looking at him for guidance.

Rihan tugged his ear lightly, “why would I be, idiot? You're my son, I'll support you no matter what you decide.”

Rikuo glanced toward the door his grandfather had left through, “so, what are we going to tell mom?”

“Let's go surprise her, I think I know just what to say.” He grinned, yes, at least some fun could be had from this far too serious situation, even if it was at his wife's expense. It was alright, she would understand.

 

-Break-

 

His dad's plan was a good one and he couldn't wait to see his mom's reaction. He stayed close behind Rihan, his fingers gripping at the green and black striped kimono. He made sure to keep himself hidden, if she saw him before they were ready the whole thing would be ruined.

“Oh, where could my lovely wife be?” Rihan said with a smile, sliding open the doors to the kitchen, “I have something oh so very important to share with her.” His hands were behind him, holding Rikuo's gently.

“Rihan! When did you get home?” She exclaimed and Rikuo wished he could see through his father.

“Not long ago, I brought you a surprise, do you want to see it?” He asked, his hands tightening around Rikuo's, telling him to get ready.

“A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

In a quick movement, Rihan pulled him around so he was between his parents, his hands resting on his shoulders, “ta-dah! I brought you a very rare creature, our son!”

She gasped in surprise before blinking down at him, “what?”

Rikuo looked up at her with a small smile, “hi, mom.”

She looked between the two men, confusion etched on her face, “Rihan! What did you do?”

His fingers tightened slightly on his shoulders, “what did I do?” He moved his hands up to cover Rikuo’s ears.

Immediately his hands came up and tugged them down so he could hear, “I want to hear too.” He said with a pout.

“Not this time, buddy.” He brought his hands back up and Rikuo crossed his arms over his chest, pouting more. After a moment he removed his hands, “see, you didn’t die not being able to hear for ten seconds.”

Wakana crouched down in front of him, “Rikuo,” she placed a hand on his cheek gently, “you make quite a handsome young yokai.”

He blushed, turning his head and glancing up at the ceiling, “am not.”

She laughed, “you’re going to grow up to be quite the heartbreaker.” She paused, turning his head back to face her, “if this is what you want, I’ll support you.”

He wrapped his arms around her neck, “thanks, mom.”

Rihan put a hand on his head, ruffling his hair, “why don't you go play while your mom and I have a talk. I'll come find you after, we have some things we need to get started on.”

Rikuo nodded, giving them each a hug before heading outside. Maybe he could find Tsurara and get her help to play a prank on Kappa.

 

-Break-

 

Rihan leaned against the wall, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his kimono, before beginning to explain, “the other night when he rescued his school friends he gave up his humanity in order to do so. His words had power and instead of just relinquishing himself to the part of him that is yokai temporarily it became permanent. He doesn't want to go back, even when I offered to try to find a way he said no. We need to respect that.”

Wakana nodded, “of course, he's still my Rikuo, no matter what he looks like he's still my son.” She gave him a bright smile, “besides, if I cared whether he looked like a human or a yokai I would never have married you, would I?”

He stepped forward, bending and giving her a soft kiss, “and here I thought you married me for my good looks, are you telling me it was my glowing personality? I think I might be a little offended, my own wife telling me I'm not handsome.”

“I said no such thing! I should make you finish the dishes for that.” She said sternly.

“Oh? Sorry, I really must be going, clan business, you understand.” He gave her one last parting kiss before beating a hasty retreat and leaving her in the kitchen, now he just needed to find his son.

 

-Break-

 

It had been four years since he had let go of his humanity. Four years of learning how to use a sword and how to use his Fear. He felt like he was getting quite good at it, at least at hiding his presence. He was able to walk past most of the yokai in the house without them noticing, of course his father and grandfather caught him every time he tried to leave the house on his own. Even Zen, his newly sworn brother, caught him a few times. He had recently exchanged sakazuki, a pledge of loyalty, with the bird yokai after saving him from another yokai who wanted to take over his clan. They really didn't like to let him roam around on his own, something about how disappearing seemed to run in the family, Rikuo honestly hadn't been listening when Kubinashi was chastising him. It just meant he needed to practice more. His father had also started teaching him about Matoi, they hadn't started practicing it yet but he was beginning to understand how it worked at least. It would allow him to use trusted yokai's Fear by having them possess his human side. Rihan was optimistic that he would be able to do it, even though he gave up his humanity it didn't change the fact that he still had a human side to him. Now that Zen was his sworn brother, Rikuo couldn't wait to be able to use his poison wings as his own. Of course Rihan had stated they wouldn't be doing any practical work on it any time soon but Rikuo was still excited.

After the incident he hadn’t seen his human classmates again. He had, however, spoken with them on the phone. He knew he sounded different as a yokai but that could be explained away, everyone sounds different on the phone. Kiyotsugu had apologized profusely for not believing him when he had said yokai were real and immediately started trying to coerce Rikuo into inviting them over. Apparently he had started a new club, one to find yokai. In all honesty it worried the young yokai lord, going after yokai had the potential to be dangerous. He was tempted to send someone to keep an eye on them or find a way to go himself. A few of the yokai could pass as human, he knew he even had the potential to do so, he did have a human side of his own after all, but he was afraid. He didn’t want to go back to being human and if he used his human form he wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen.

Kana had actually tried to stop by his home a few times but was always turned away. How did you explain to someone that you were a yokai, let alone that you were the one who saved them four years ago? It was better that he keep some distance. She had questioned him about it in the beginning when they spoke but he always brushed it off, giving vague non-answers. Eventually she had given up.

It had been surprisingly easy to get out of going to school, aside from the fact that he was in his yokai form and  _ couldn’t, _ it wasn’t like he needed a human education to take over the Nura Clan. As the Third Heir he had other responsibilities to worry about and algebra wasn’t one of them.

“Master Rikuo! I’m sorry, Kuro and Ao are trying to stop them but your human friends, they’re not taking no for an answer.” Tsurara said as she skidded into the room panting for breath.

Rikuo looked up from his tea, his grandfather setting down his own cup, “what are you talking about, woman?” Nurarihyon asked, practically demanded.

“We can't really keep them out, not without hurting them, and they have someone new with them, someone you haven't told us about, and she doesn't feel right. Kiyotsugu is being more pushy than usual.” She looked over her shoulder down the hallway, “I know you don't want to but I think you're going to have to…” She trailed off and he sighed, he knew what she was going to say.

“Appear human.” He finished for her.

She nodded, “yes, master.”

“I suppose it can't be helped,” he stood, looking himself over. He was a little afraid of what was going to happen, he knew he was larger than a normal human, his body more of a teenager than only a twelve, almost thirteen, year old human. “I'm going to need a few minutes, can you hold them off until then?” He asked, he was stalling, didn't want to go through with this, but it was happening whether he liked it or not.

Nurarihyon stood, heading for the door, “come, let's go see these friends of his.”

Tsurara closed the door behind her, following his grandpa. Rikuo took a deep breath, closing his eyes and for the first time in a long time looking for that human part of himself. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when he did this. Would he revert back? He hoped not. Would he be completely unable to even find it? He would have a lot of explaining to do if that was the case. Or would everything go according to plan? Please let this be the one. Somehow he did find it, deep inside his mind he faced himself, well, his human self.

“I need to borrow you for a little bit.” He said, looking down at him from his perch on the branch of a large sakura tree, much like the one in their yard that he enjoyed lounging in. He was smaller, significantly so, with much shorter hair. Honestly he hadn't changed that much in four years, just grown a little.

The human him raised an eyebrow from his place at the base of the tree, “borrow me? What's that supposed to mean?”

“Our human friends won't take no for an answer, they're here, and they're coming. I don't want to go through the hassle of explaining the whole situation, therefore, I need to borrow you until they leave.”

He looked excited at the prospect before quickly schooling his face into one of thoughtful indifference, “I don't know, I mean, it's been four years since I've done anything, I'm not sure I'm up for it.”

He couldn't help but laugh, “Rikuo, I know you better than that, I  _ am _ you after all.” He smiled down at him, “I know you want to, don't play coy with me.”

“Fine,” he said with a pout, “but on one condition, I want you to come visit me every now and then. You do that and I will not only help you with this but I'll help with Matoi when dad starts to teach you. I know I gave up my place in the outside world and you're only here because you need me but I'm still a part of you and I'm not going away.”

“Alright, human me, I'll come visit you, go take care of the humans for me. I'm counting on you.”

 

-Break-

 

Through a stroke of luck or maybe it was magic, the white and gold kimono and dark blue haori adjusted to fit his much smaller body. It was strange being the one out in the world. He had viewed it through the yokai's eyes, seen and heard everything that went on, but it was distant and over the years he had tuned it out for the most part. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell his friends when he saw them, he knew the yokai him had told them things he'd been doing, most of them lies, but Rikuo knew he wasn't a good liar. Deception, sure, he could do that and had for the sake of pranks but straight up telling a lie wasn't really something he did. So he would have to be careful about what he said.

He took a deep breath, sliding open the doors only to come face to face with Kiyotsugu, fanned out behind him were Shima, Kana, Torii, Maki, and a girl he didn't recognize. He immediately got a strange feeling from the new girl.

“K-Kiyotsugu, what are you guys doing here?” He asked, taking a step back to let them into the room. At least there were no yokai here for them to find.

“We came to see you! Kana and I have tried on our own and have never been able to get past the front gate so we all came!” He looked quite pleased with himself, “Nura, this is Yura Keikain, she's an onmyoji!”

He felt his blood run cold, an onmyoji in a house full of yokai, this was bad, very, very bad, “umm, it's nice to meet you.” He said as they stepped into the room, taking a seat around the low table he and his grandfather had been sitting at before this whole fiasco.

“It's nice to meet you too, Nura. Your house is full of yokai energy, I hope I can help you with it.”

He shook his head, “no, no, there are no yokai here, there's nothing for you to worry about.”

Yura looked at him skeptically, “regardless, I'm sure there's a lot of history here.”

“Oh, yes, this house has been in our family for a very long time. I bet that's why you feel yokai energy, Keikain, I'm sure there have been a lot of yokai here over the years.” She looked satisfied with that answer, at least for now. His other side would never forgive him if he let their secret out.

“You have to give us a tour and tell us everything, Nura.” Kiyotsugu was far too excited and adamant about this whole thing.

“I'm not sure, we weren't really expecting anyone over today, the house is a mess, I'm sure...” Rikuo's mind was racing, how could he avoid a confrontation with the onmyoji?

“Just a little bit? Please, Rikuo.” Kana pleaded with him, looking so very hopeful.

He just couldn't bring himself to say no, “maybe only a couple rooms but you have to stay with me, alright?”

“Yes, yes, of course!” Kiyotsugu said quickly, getting to his feet.

“Alright, let's go.” He opened the door, leading them into the hallway before starting to walk, “Kiyotsugu, how did you guys meet Keikain?” He asked conversationally.

“I started a club at school, the Kiyojuji Paranormal Investigation Squad. She was good enough to join us. I know you're not going to school anymore but that doesn't mean you can’t join us!”

Maybe this would be a good thing, to keep them out of trouble, but he would have to talk to his other self, “I'll have to think about it.”

He slid the door open to the altar room, so far they had avoided everyone, but there was a sense of foreboding, as though at any moment one of the yokai would pop out of nowhere. He couldn’t risk any of his yokai being found by the onmyoji. The room was thankfully free of occupants, it seemed as though they had either left or had hidden themselves well. Yura looked skeptical and ready to react at any moment to any little thing. Something moved and Rikuo reacted before Yura saw it, moving to stand in front of one of the statues, carefully reaching out and shoving the little yokai that was peaking out back into the statue. Yura whirled to face him, eyes focused on the statue.

When she reached out to touch it he gently pushed her hand back down, “grandpa doesn’t like anyone touching them, they’re all really old.”

She continued to eye the statue, “I really should leave a charm just in case.” She said softly, moving to pull one out.

“No, no, don’t worry about it, it’s fine.” He said, holding up his hands.

She relented, albeit reluctantly, “I’d like to see more.” She said, changing the subject.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

 

-Break-

 

The yokai Rikuo lounged in his tree, waiting for the humans to leave, waiting for his human side to come back to their shared space. They needed to have a talk about what had happened. To have an onmyoji here was unexpected and dangerous. There were a few close calls but luckily no one was found but surely they could hide better than they did. He was going to have to have a talk with a few of them about proper ways to hide, they were older than he was, had more experience, surely it shouldn’t have been so damn difficult. He had to applaud his human side for the way he handled the situation, he was surprised he managed to maintain his cool, he thought he would panic the few times someone was almost found.

When his human side plopped down at the foot of the tree with a sigh he couldn’t help but laugh, “you did well, not a single yokai found and you kept your composure. That onmyoji is interesting, don’t you think?”

“Interesting? Don’t you mean dangerous? Kiyotsugu told me how she killed a yokai in his house, she’s skilled.” He said, looking up at him, “I wanted to talk to you about something. I mean, I know you heard everything that went on, but I would really like to join the Kiyojuji Paranormal Investigation Squad.”

He tipped his head back and laughed. Of course he knew what had gone on and the offer Kiyotsugu had given, “hmm, I’m not sure, I’ll have to think about it. I mean, this means that I will have to take the backseat while you go and hunt yokai.” He laughed again, “hunting yokai, isn’t that a little ironic, Rikuo?”

He shrugged, “maybe but this way I can protect them, stop them from doing anything too dangerous, and you can always use this as a way to increase your night parade. I’m sure we’ll actually find yokai at some point and you can convince them to join you.”

His other side did have a point and it was actually a good one, “hmm, well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything, but not all the time. I guess I could use a break now and then from training.”

Rikuo looked so happy, “Nura, can you do me a favor?” When the yokai nodded he continued, “four years ago in school we were reading a story, Hanasaka Jiisan, can you find out what happened at the end?”

“Sure,” he shifted on the branch, “I’ll let you go to the next meeting, I’m sure Kiyotsugu will call and let us know when it is.” He hopped down, “I’ll see you soon, Rikuo.” He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and stretching, he was back in his body, his yokai body, “I want some sake.” He grumbled, heading for the parlor. Now that the humans were gone things could go back to normal and normal usually meant celebration and drinking.

He was right. It seemed as though in celebration of their successful mission, fool the humans, they were having a party. The moment he stepped inside he was met with a chorus of greetings.

“Master Rikuo! Come! Have a drink!” Kubinashi held out a dish filled with sake.

He took it gratefully, “to success!” He held it up in a toast before taking a drink. Four refills later and he realized someone was missing, “oi, Kuro! Where’s Ao?” He shouted, taking his last drink before holding it up for another refill.

The monk shrugged, “I haven’t seen him since the humans left, why?”

“Oh, no reason.” He smirked, his human side had left a little present for someone, it had been quite awhile since he played pranks on anyone, it seemed as though Aotabo was the lucky recipient of his little surprise, “Kubinashi! Where’s my drink?”

“I’m afraid we need another jug.” He said, pouring the last drops into Rikuo’s dish.

He downed the little bit that was left before falling back, landing against Tsurara, “hey, Tsurara, how’s my favorite Yuki-onna?”

She smiled down at him, “Master Rikuo, you’re drunk.” She said, laughing softly.

Come to think of it he felt a little warm. It didn’t matter, he felt good, he hadn’t drank this much before, and honestly he wanted more. What was taking Kubinashi so long? When Kubinashi did finally reappear there were two issues, the first was that he looked worried, the second was that he came back without more sake, it was a rather sobering sight.

“Kubinashi, what’s wrong?” He asked, sitting up and putting his dish aside.

He pulled out a folded note, holding it out to him, “this was delivered by a rat to one of the little yokai.”

Rikuo scowled, taking it, “a rat? What does the Kyuso Clan want?”

He opened the note, reading it silently before crumpling it in his fist. So, those rats thought they could kidnap his human friends and get away with it? Why would they send this letter? They wanted him to come, alone, to their hideout. Were they stupid? Honestly, he wasn’t sure what they were thinking but they had Yura and Kana, he couldn’t just let this go.

“Master Rikuo? What did it say?” Tsurara laid a hand on his shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“I’m going out, there’s something I need to take care of.” He tossed the note to the side, getting to his feet and heading for the door.

Kubinashi picked up the note, flattening it out enough to read, “Master Rikuo, you can’t go on your own! This is obviously a trap!” He looked up after him but he was already gone, “dammit, I have to go tell the Second.”

Rikuo knew that what he was doing wasn’t the best idea, actually giving in to their demands that he come alone, but he needed to know if they actually had his friends before he could act. He needed to do this quickly, Kubinashi would no doubt tell his father so he only had a limited amount of time to get this done. The club that was mentioned wasn’t too far away, First Street wasn’t a place he usually went but it wasn’t hard to find. He had heard a few rumors, about the Bakeneko Clan and the Kyuso Clan going at it but he thought the latter had been expelled. He dashed across the rooftops, perhaps he would just have to take them out, it would solve a lot of problems, but he had to save Yura and Kana first.

The club was garish, he preferred simpler, more traditional settings. There were two rats at the door, obviously waiting for him. He stepped between them, looking from one to the other, “take me to your master.” He stated calmly.

 

-Break-

 

Rihan had been relaxing comfortably in the sakura tree, smoking his pipe, looking up at the moon, and ignoring the ruckus inside when Kubinashi came running outside with a note in his hand. He stopped at the foot of the tree, looking up at him, apparently he was getting too predictable, he was found far too quickly.

“What is it, Kubinashi?”

The neckless yokai held up the note, “Master Rikuo has gone and done something stupid.”

Rihan took it with a sigh, reading it over, “idiot boy,” he said fondly, “if he isn’t back in half an hour we’ll go after him. Let’s give him a chance to take care of the problem himself.” He settled the stem of his pipe between his teeth and took a breath before letting out a thin stream of smoke, “he’s almost an adult, he should be taking on more responsibilities, especially since he has made perfectly clear that he wants the position as the Third. Besides, he knows all too well how to use his Fear and has become quite good at it over the past few years.”

Kubinashi looked toward the gate with a sigh, “very well, Master Rihan,” he turned his gaze back to the house, “do you want me to round everyone up?”

He shook his head, “no, if Rikuo decides he wants to use the night parade he’ll let us know when he gets back. Just make sure Kuro and Ao are ready to go, if he isn’t back in,” he looked up at the moon, “twenty minutes, the four of us will go.”

Kubinashi looked skeptical at his ability to tell time, well, he was right, it had only been about three minutes at most since he had brought the note. Honestly, Rihan wanted to go out and find his son. He could admit it when he was being protective and this was one of those moments. At least he was giving him time and not just running off immediately. Kubinashi nodded and headed back inside to do as he was told.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips, “oh, Rikuo, what have you gotten yourself into this time?”

He scowled, no, his son hadn’t done anything lately, at least nothing out of the ordinary. A few pranks, acquiring ramen at that new place down the street, (the three of them had done that together, family bonding and all), but nothing to do with the rats. The Kyuso Clan, he could have sworn he had taken care of them awhile back, had he missed one? He was drawn out of his thoughts by the sounds of footsteps approaching his tree. The three yokai he had called for stood waiting for him.

“Has it been twenty minutes already?” He asked, looking up at the moon, no, it had only been ten, “well, I suppose now is as good a time as any.” He hopped down from the tree, landing silently in front of them before emptying out his pipe and slipping it into his sleeve, “shall we go find my wayward son?”

Of course Rikuo would choose that moment to leap from the wall to the tree before dropping to the ground beside him, “I’m surprised you waited this long to go looking for me.” He said, looking up at Rihan.

“Well, I thought I might give you some time to sort it out on your own but I was getting impatient.” He replied, looking down at him, he was still a good head taller than his son, he wasn’t sure how much longer that was going to last, “what did the rat want? Did he have your friends like he said?”

Rikuo nodded, “he wants me to give up my claim to the position of Third, if I don’t by morning he said he’ll eat them. I don’t believe even for a moment that he  _ won’t _ try to eat them, even if I were to give in to his wishes.”

“Well, what do you plan on doing?” Rihan prompted, he wasn’t worried about it, he knew his son had no intention of giving up his position.

He smirked in response before walking to the house, “who wants to go rat hunting?” He asked the yokai cleaning up the parlor after Kubinashi broke up their party.

Rihan smiled, his son was really coming into himself, “well, don’t the three of you want to go as well? I’ll just wait here and have some sake.”

He waved at them over his shoulder as he made his way inside. He had some hidden in the tree, he just didn’t want anyone else to know it was there. Rikuo knew, after all he spent a significant amount of time in the sakura tree, but he didn’t mind sharing with his son. Part of him wanted to join the hunt but this was his son’s task and he wasn’t going to interfere.

“You know, Rikuo,” he said as he walked past his son, “I was kind of hoping that I would get to chase you. I think we need to play a game in a couple nights, don’t you?”

Rikuo smirked, “can’t wait, we’ll see if you can keep up, old man.”

Yes, Rikuo was definitely his son. Even though he couldn’t go out on this task he would have fun one way or another even if it couldn’t be tonight. Well, he could still have sake.

 

-Break-

 

This was only the second time he had the night parade at his back and it felt just as good as the first time. He felt strong, untouchable, he could feel their delight at going out hunting and it made his blood sing. He was looking forward to a good fight, he hadn’t gotten a chance to try out any of the things his father had been teaching him. At least not outside of training. There were so few places to fight that it was almost disappointing.

When they reached the club he didn’t have to say a word, his night parade knew exactly what to do. Aotabo went first, practically removing the whole front of the building, grinning the whole time before letting Rikuo take the first steps inside. The rat sat on his throne, still proclaiming to be the emperor of the night, it was pathetic.

“You made a mistake, rat king, in thinking that you could ask me to give up my position and I would just do it because you hold a couple humans.” He glanced over his shoulder, spotting the giant rodent cage he had locked Yura and Kana in, “however, now that I’m here and you can see the night parade at my back, don’t you think it would be a much better idea for you to release them? Perhaps you can even leave here with your lives, although I’m not exactly sure how generous I’m feeling.”

The rat’s lips pulled back in a snarl, “kill them all!” He shouted, losing his human facade.

Aotabo and Kubinashi had already freed the girls, leaving the army of rats to Rikuo and the rest of the parade. Part of the magic of being a yokai was the ability to produce everything you needed without worry of where it would come from or how you would carry it, so it was no surprise to anyone when he produced a large dish filled with sake. This was something he had been wanting to try, setting fires to one’s home was frowned upon so he never got a chance to really practice.

“You truly are a fool, even knowing that your fangs cannot touch me you go and show them anyway.” He blew across the surface of the sake, watching as the rat was engulfed in blue flame, “you are unfit to serve me.” The flames spread as he bid them, engulfing the few remaining rats. The fire would burn until the ripples in the sake subsided, by dawn all that would be left of them was ash.

They all moved outside as one before Rikuo moved away to where Kubinashi had taken the girls. They were fine, perhaps a little shaken up but unharmed. Kubinashi had even draped his haori over Yura's shoulders, he really did have a soft spot for girls even if he tried to hide it.

“You're lucky to be unharmed, you should be more careful going home.” Rikuo said once he was sure of their health. He looked at Kubinashi before turning and starting to walk away, the other yokai following him.

“Wait!” Yura shouted, looking like she wanted to get to her feet but deciding against it, “you're the master of the yokai! I came here to defeat you! Next time, I won't lose!”

Rikuo looked at her skeptically before turning away, “good luck, Keikain, I look forward to seeing you try.” With that, they disappeared into the early morning mist.

“That went very well, Master Rikuo.” Kubinashi said once they were a safe distance away.

“Thank you, it made me feel so, alive. It's been four years since I've had a proper fight, I feel almost like this was fate,” he narrowed his eyes slightly, “or planned. Perhaps I should have captured the rat instead of burning him. I just can't figure out why he would want me to give up my claim to being the Third when he wasn't even a part of our clan.”

“Someone else must be responsible.” Kubinashi replied.

Rikuo smirked, “someone else is pulling the strings?”

Kubinashi glared at him, “very funny, Master Rikuo.”

“You know, Kubinashi, you shouldn't take things so personally.”

“With you, I never can.” He said with a smile.

 

-Break-

 

Rihan refilled his pipe, looking outside, deep in thought. Nurarihyon sat next to him, smoking his own pipe. They hadn’t said a word to each other since Rikuo left to go deal with the rats and had already gone through a jug of sake between them. The rats had wanted his son to give up his claim to the position of the Third, that much was clear from the letter they had sent, what wasn’t clear was why. He didn’t understand why they would want such a thing. They weren’t part of the Nura Clan, yes, they were in their city but they had no say in who took over when Rihan decided to retire. Did they think Rikuo would remove them completely? If so, they made a poor decision, demanding he relinquish his place guaranteed their deaths. Someone had to be behind it, a puppet master in the shadows who didn’t want Rikuo to take over.

“What do you think, old man?” Rihan asked, breaking the silence but continuing to look up at the night sky.

“It’s similar to what happened with Gagoze, someone wants the Nura Clan for themselves and isn’t afraid to use underhanded tactics to get it, they just underestimated Rikuo. I doubt they’ll make the same mistake twice.” Nurarihyon replied, “let’s treat this like a test, let Rikuo handle it, it would prove to any doubters that he can take care of things himself.”

Rihan chuckled softly, taking a drag off his pipe, “do you doubt your grandson, pops?”

The old man let out a snort, “that idiot? No, he’s a stubborn ass like his father.”

“Oh, I wonder where he gets it from, could it be from a certain former Lord of Pandemonium? I think it runs in the family.”

“Brat, see if I let you have any of the good sake I have hidden away.”

Rihan tipped his head to look at him, “oh, you mean the sake you hid in the buddha statue? I found that ages ago, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”

“No, no, not that sake, the other…” He trailed off when he saw the smirk on his son’s face, “you found it too, didn’t you?”

“Actually, Rikuo did, you really need better hiding spots.”

Nurarihyon grumbled, “damn brats,” he sounded angry but the look of pride on his face said otherwise, “we should give Rikuo a surprise when he gets back. That is, if he’s successful.”

“There’s that doubt you claimed didn’t exist.”

“I said it before, not doubting him, just saying he may have gotten distracted by a pretty face. He did drink a lot tonight. After all, like father, like son.” He smirked at his son.

Rihan took a puff off his pipe, “that doesn’t work as an insult you know, I’m taking it as a compliment. Who doesn’t want their son to turn out like them?”

“I must be a masochist,” he hissed under his breath, “how did I get saddled with a son and grandson like this?”

Rihan grasped his shoulder, “you just got lucky.” He looked back at the stars before changing the subject, “so, who do you think it is?”

“I can tell you who it’s not. I believe we can rule out Gyuki, Hihi, Mokugyo-Daruma, Karasu Tengu, and Zen, I can’t see his sworn brother suddenly deciding to turn on him.”

“You're right, we need to look at the other five. Maybe this should be a contest, see if we can figure it out before Rikuo.” Rihan was getting excited at the prospect, things had been so quiet lately, they hadn't gotten to have a good fight since his attempted murder. Tonight was the first time they got to do it and he didn't even get to go.

Nurarihyon looked thoughtful, “why not? We’ll tell him about it when he gets back. It will be interesting to see who wins.”

“We should still let him take care of it, it’ll just be fun to rub it in his face when we win.”

“Of course, of course, let’s get started.”

 

-Break-

 

“A contest?” Rikuo looked at the pair skeptically.

The moment he had gotten home his father and grandfather had pulled him away from the breakfast that the other yokai were gathered around and sat him down to a private meal for the three of them in a separate room. They tried to appear nonchalant but Rikuo could tell they were excited about something.

“Yes, a contest.” Rihan replied.

Rikuo took a bite of his food, “let me get this straight, you want to have a contest, the two of you against me, to find out who is after my position?”

“Exactly.” Rihan said, sipping his tea.

“How is that fair? Two against one, the odds are totally against me, not to mention that you’re both old men, which means you have more experience. So, what’s my motivation?”

Nurarihyon looked thoughtful, “you can have Gyuki as an advisor, how about that?”

With Gyuki on his side he would have an advantage but up against two of the trickiest yokai out there he wasn’t sure how much of a bonus that would really be but it was likely the best he was going to get, “fine but I get to deal with the traitor however I see fit.”

“Deal.” Rihan said, not giving Nurarihyon a chance to respond, “pops, you get to tell Gyuki you drafted him to help Rikuo but after breakfast.”

Turning this whole thing into a contest, he was a little surprised they wanted to involve themselves at all. Of course with how badly his father wanted to come out after him the previous night he supposed it had to do with boredom more than anything. Hopefully things would stay this interesting, at least for awhile. Sadly it wasn’t like he could draw out the investigation, not when he was going up against the two of them. Then again, they might get frustrated with each other and having Gyuki on his side would give him an advantage when the two old men’s investigation came to a standstill due to infighting. He doubted he would be that lucky, when they set their mind to something they were pretty focused and determined. Things like this were instantly sobering so even if he got them drunk the moment they remembered what they were working on they would be right back at it again. After breakfast he would have to talk with Gyuki about strategy. There was also the possibility that Gyuki had some kind of idea about who was behind it, if he knew for sure he would have said something, but he was patient and calculating. He prefered to have all the information before making a decision. Now that he thought about it, maybe this would be a hindrance instead of a boon. No, he would beat them, one way or another

 

-Break-

 

Gyuki thought he would have a relatively peaceful day at the main house but of course he should have known better. He had come wanting to confirm a few things and to speak with the Second but hadn’t had a chance to as of yet. Now, all three generations of Nurarihyons were in a room together discussing something and it filled him with a sense of trepidation. All three of them plotting something together was a recipe for trouble. So, he waited, sipping his tea and taking the moment to relax before all hell broke loose.

When the First took a seat beside him he wasn’t surprised. Even though he hadn’t sensed his approach he was accustomed to that particular talent of the Nurarihyon. Being able to hide one’s presence was certainly beneficial and he had seen it used to great effect multiple times.

“Commander, I trust your family meeting went well?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes, in fact, I’m here to speak with you about what we decided in that meeting.”

That sounded foreboding, “what is it that you were discussing?”

“You’re going to help Rikuo with his investigation.”

Gyuki froze, his mug halfway to his mouth, “what investigation might that be?” He had a feeling he already knew and it was what he had come to speak with the Second about.

“We’re having a little contest, Rihan and I against Rikuo and you. Whoever finds out who is behind the attempts to remove Rikuo as a candidate for the position of Third is the winner.”

It was indeed what he had come for, well, if this was a competition then of course he would help Rikuo win it, “I see.” He took a drink of his tea, “very well, it would be an honor to assist in this matter.”

Nurarihyon nodded, “good, good, I’ll leave you to it.” He smirked, “good luck.”

Gyuki looked over at him as the other yokai stood, “we won’t need luck to win this contest, Commander.” No, they would win because Gyuki knew things that Rihan and Nurarihyon didn’t and that gave them the edge.

 

-Break-

 

Nura looked down at his human side from his perch in the sakura tree. He had decided to come pay him a visit before speaking with Gyuki. Maybe his human side had an idea that he hadn’t thought of yet.

Rikuo looked up at him before breaking the silence, “you came back, thank you for saving them but did you have to kill the rats?”

“They wanted me to give up my claim on being the Third and to do that they took people important to you, to us, I just can’t let that go.” He paused, leaning back against the trunk of the tree, one leg dangling over the side of the branch, “besides, you knew exactly what was going to happen. Don’t pretend you didn’t know that the rats would die because you know there is a darker side to everything and in the world of yokai this is the way things are.”

Rikuo looked away, picking up a flower petal, “you want to ask me what I think, that’s why you’re here.” He stated, “I think someone doesn’t like you, doesn’t want you to be the Third, doesn’t want you to have control of the Nura Clan. Just like Gagoze wanted to lead, this is the same thing. I just don’t know who, I would think one of the heads, not Zen or Gyuki, but one of the others, maybe Hitotsume Nyudo or Omukade but I don’t know for sure.”

Nura nodded, “that’s what I was thinking. I found a copy of that story you wanted, when this is over we’ll read it.”

Rikuo smiled up at him, “thanks, Nura.” He paused as Nura got ready to hop out of the tree and return to the outside, “hey, kick the ass of whoever is behind this.”

Nura couldn’t help but laugh, “oh, I will be sure to.” He hopped out of the tree and opened his eyes, back in the real world. The moment his eyes slid open he jumped slightly, Gyuki was kneeling across from him, sipping tea, seemingly waiting for him to come back to himself, “Gyuki, I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Ah, you’re back, Master Rikuo. I was going to give you a few more minutes before attempting to wake you, we do have a contest to win, there’s no time for napping.”

He stretched, “I was having a conversation, not napping.” He scowled, “wait, gramps already talked to you?”

“Yes and I know something they don’t, this will practically guarantee our success. I was going to give this information to the Second but the First came to me and told me about the contest before I could.”

Rikuo smirked, “so, of course you didn’t tell him.”

Gyuki smiled slightly, “of course.”

“What did you find?” This was exciting, he felt lucky. If he hadn’t pointed out the unfairness of this contest, Gyuki would have told his father and he never would have had a chance of winning.

“More investigation needs to be done, however, before you revealed yourself there were some of us who expressed, concerns, about you taking the position of Third. Hitotsume Nyudo was one of them and was quite vocal about his distaste. I believe he may, at the very least, have a significant role in this situation.”

“What do you recommend? What is the best way to approach Hitotsume?” He asked. He didn’t know Hitotsume Nyudo well and would bow to Gyuki’s experience.

“He has been cautious, using a clan that had already been excommunicated to go after you. The choices are as follows, we can directly confront him, we can let it go and wait for him to act, or we can use subterfuge and discern his plan from the inside.” He said, holding up three fingers.

“Well, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to get into his clan and I would rather not get anyone else involved, at least not until we know for sure, so using a spy wouldn’t work.”

Gyuki held up a hand to stop him, “Gozu and Mezu are my subordinates and utilizing them is the same as utilizing me. They are quite talented at subterfuge.”

He didn’t want to involve anyone else, not until he knew more, but using all of his resources was an important part of being a commander, being the Lord of Pandemonium, and he ultimately wanted to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. He wanted all yokai as part of his night parade and to do that he needed to prove his strength.

“You’re right, I should be using all the tools at my disposal. Very well, Gyuki, have Gozu and Mezu see what they can discover without being caught. If they feel they are even close to being discovered they are to report back immediately. While they’re doing that we will question the other heads, starting with those we trust so as to appear impartial and as though we suspect everyone.”

Gyuki nodded, looking pleased with his decision, “I shall inform Gozu and Mezu of their task. It would be best for appearances if you questioned me first, that way I can be involved in future questioning without raising suspicion.”

Rikuo nodded, “if you can get close to Hitotsume it would be beneficial but since Gozu and Mezu will be spying that might not be necessary.”

“He trusts me, but if he discovers that I am assisting you he will immediately become suspicious. I will speak with him before you question me and see what he is willing to tell me.”

Rikuo nodded, “alright, in two days I’ll summon you for questioning.”

“That’s plenty of time, I shall take care of what we discussed. Perhaps you should question Zen while I am away. We can’t have any signs of impropriety after all.”

The younger yokai smirked, “of course, we wouldn’t want that.”


	2. End Arc 1

Rikuo relaxed on the floor, lounging back, his legs bent out in front of him. There were two dishes of sake on the table with the jug on the floor beside it. He was waiting for Zen. He had no real intention of questioning him but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a drink together while they pretended to have a fierce interrogation session.

Zen didn't knock, didn't bother to announce himself, he just barged in like he always did and sat down across from him at the table. Without a word, he picked up his sake and took a drink.

“Zen, I'm glad you could make it.” He said, picking up his own drink, “do you know why I called you here?”

He watched as Zen refilled his dish before the bird spoke, “this is about someone trying to take your rightful position as Third.”

Rikuo finished his first helping before pouring another, “exactly.”

“You don't expect me to believe that I'm an actual suspect,” he was getting agitated and Rikuo needed to allay his fears quickly, “you would suspect your sworn brother?!”

He held up his hands, “Zen, I know you don't have anything to do with it but I can't just  _ not _ question you. That would be far too suspicious, now calm down and drink your sake.”

Zen looked at him skeptically but did as he was told, “so, what are we going to do?”

“Talk, relax, drink and when we run out of drink we drink some more.”

That seemed to improve his mood at least, “remember when that snake tried to take my clan? You stepped in and saved me and I became your sworn brother. Now it's my turn to pay you back for it. I'll do whatever I can to help.”

Rikuo smirked, “thanks, Zen.”

There was a knock at the door before it slid open, “Rikuo, Zen, I brought you some tea and you're drinking sake. Rikuo, you're too young to be drinking.” Wakana scolded.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, “mom, I'm almost 13, an adult, it's perfectly normal for yokai my age to drink.” He replied, “but thank you for the tea.”

She slid the tray the tea was on onto the table, “can you drink a little less? For me? At least until your birthday.”

He sighed, “of course, mom.”

She beamed at him, moving to pick up the jug but Zen grabbed it, “oi! Just because he's not drinking doesn't mean I'm not.”

Rikuo finished his sake before picking up his tea, making sure she saw that he was drinking it. She gave him another smile before leaving the two of them sitting at the table.

Zen laughed the moment the door closed, “Rikuo, I can't believe you agreed to that. You'll be an adult in what? Three months?”

“She's my mom, Zen, I should make her life at least a little easier.”

Zen poured himself some more sake, “she tricked you, you do realize that.”

“I know but it's hard to say no to her.” He took a drink of tea, “do you have any idea who might be behind it?” He asked, changing the subject.

“Maybe that one eyed bastard or those two women, I wouldn't put it past Mr. I-Have-Too-Many-Legs either.” He poured the last of the sake into his dish, “if I had to pick one it would be one eye.”

When it was just the two of them Zen had absolutely no respect for anyone, well, at least not anyone that he didn't actually have respect for. Rikuo finished the last of his tea before grabbing the mug Wakana had brought for Zen.

“Tomorrow I'll be speaking with Gyuki, we'll see what he's found out. I'll keep you updated and let you know if I need anything.”

Zen coughed, turning his head away, “I'll just stay here, ready to patch you up when you get back. Don't you dare think you're going to get through this without some kind of injury, if it is Hitotsume he's not going down without a fight.”

“I'll be ready, don't worry about it.”

He laughed before coughing again, “Rikuo, give me some of that tea, I'm dying here.”

He sighed, handing over the mug, “just stop coughing, I swear you do it on purpose sometimes to get what you want.”

Zen glared at him, “I do not.” He took a drink, closing his eyes, “don't take him too lightly, Rikuo, he's not completely stupid and he does have his own clan.”

“I'll worry about it if he tries to get me into his territory, right now he's coming here and this is the territory of the Nura Clan, my clan. I'm not worried about dealing with him in my own home.”

“You should be, but I'll be here to patch you up and tell you that I told you so.”

“You just wait, I'm going to make you eat those words.”

-Break-

Hitotsume Nyudo did not look happy as he took a seat across from Rikuo and Gyuki. Gyuki had spoken with him three days ago but the one eyed demon had given vague non answers. It was frustrating to come back to Rikuo with nothing but suspicions. Gozu and Mezu hadn’t discovered anything concrete either, either he was innocent or being extremely careful. Gyuki was betting on the latter. They didn’t have any other solid leads as to the culprit and with what he had said when they met he was sure it was him, even if he had no proof.

“Hitotsume Nyudo, how good of you to come and meet with me on such short notice.” Rikuo said, eyes narrowed slightly.

Hitotsume chose to ignore him, looking at Gyuki instead, “why are you here, Gyuki? I thought we had an understanding after our last conversation.”

Well, at least he was being careful, it seemed that he underestimated Rikuo, “you told me you knew nothing, think of this as a…”

“Think of this as an interrogation, your lack of any kind of respect makes you a suspect.” Rikuo said, interrupting him.

The one eyed demon turned his attention to the young lord, “ask your questions, I have nothing to hide.”

“Shall I ask about the Kyuso Clan first and your dealings with them or should I ask how you feel about me and my taking the position of the Third?” He said, looking thoughtful, “I think I already have a good idea of how you feel about me. You think I’m weak, unworthy, because of my human blood, regardless of the fact that I have chosen to be yokai and have been this way for four years. Am I right?”

“I won’t deny my feelings on the matter. You have done nothing to prove yourself.” He sneered in reply.

Rikuo raised an eyebrow, “the incident with Gagoze, Zen’s attempted assassination, and now the Kyuso Clan are not enough to persuade you? Is your hatred of me enough to make you plot against me or have you set it aside?”

“Why don’t you pay me a visit, I have nothing to hide, you can see my clan for yourself. Will that be enough to prove to you that I have nothing to do with this?”

Gyuki had to admit he was a good actor, goading Rikuo into reacting and then springing his trap. That’s exactly what this was, if Hitotsume could get Rikuo into his territory he would have a better chance of getting away with killing him. He must have realized that was the only way Rikuo would not take up the position as Third.

Gyuki leaned over to whisper in the young yokai’s ear, “this is a trap, you realize that, do you not?”

Rikuo smirked, his crimson eyes locked on Hitotsume, “oh, I know.” He stated calmly, “very well, Hitosume, I’ll come pay you a visit but it will be on my terms and when I deem it necessary. I suggest you prepare whatever you need to, think of this as a surprise inspection.” He paused briefly, “you're dismissed, I'll be seeing you again soon, Hitotsume.”

The moment he was gone, Gyuki turned to look at Rikuo, “must I say again that this is a trap?” He asked calmly.

“I know it is, Gozu and Mezu are already there and I will have people on standby in case he tries anything. I feel confident that I can take care of this in one way or another. Once I’ve confronted him with the truth I’m sure he will attempt to kill me but I will just have to take care of him first.”

-Break-

In all honesty Rikuo didn’t want to make a trip to the Saitama Prefecture, at least Hitotsume lived on the outskirts of one of the small towns, that way there wouldn’t be any innocent bystanders. He had Kuro, Kubinashi, and Tsurara on standby with Gozu and Mezu in close proximity to the main house. They would be able to back him up first if necessary. Hopefully, he would be able to handle the situation on his own. He felt as though he could handle Hitotsume one on one but if the rest of his clan joined in there would be problems.

He slipped his sandals off as he stepped into the house. It wasn't as large as the main house but it was of similar style. The house was empty, he had at least expected someone to greet him, he hadn't even bothered to hide his presence either. Well, if that was how he wanted to play it, Rikuo could oblige. He drew his fear around him, hiding himself from prying eyes. Now he just had to find Hitotsume.

He walked silently through the halls, one hand on his blade, his father would kill him if he was unprepared for a fight. It was eerily quiet and he didn't like it. He had given no notice that he would be coming, that meant he had been prepared since they had spoken. He pitied the yokai in this clan, to have to stay hidden in their own home.

He should have expected it, he should have seen it coming, but he didn't. Perhaps it was his own arrogance or perhaps he had just let his guard down. So when he felt the cold touch of a blade against his throat he froze.

“You are a disgrace to the Nura Clan.” Hitotsume was behind him, at least that's where his voice came from, and he was apparently one of the few who could cut through his fear.

Rikuo smirked, “I'm a disgrace? Shall I prove my strength to you? Shall our blades cross or will you be a coward and attempt to kill me now?” He felt the blade bite into his skin, perhaps he had provoked him a little too much.

There was a moment of silence before the blade was removed and Rikuo turned to face his assailant. Hitotsume was there but he wasn't the one holding the blade, there were three other yokai with him. They were strong, older, and Rikuo knew that he likely wouldn't be able to take on all four of them at once.

“You will fight him,” he laid his hand on the shoulder of the one holding the blade, “if you defeat him, we shall see.”

Rikuo took a step back, “I would rather not fight in the hallway.” He said, drawing his blade, “honestly, Hitotsume, I didn't think you would attack me. I thought we would have a nice chat, perhaps tour the grounds.”

The one eyed yokai crossed his arms over his chest, “you made it clear that you suspected me and, although I doubt you had actual proof, this was the best way in which to deal with you.”

He held his blade at the ready, “before we fight, answer me this. Why? It didn't seem like you wanted the position and I believed that you were against it because I was human. So why kill me?”

“If you win, I'll answer your questions.”

He sighed heavily, “very well, let's begin.”

The first swing from the yokai Rikuo dodged, hopping backwards. The second sliced through his chest, a long red stripe that immediately began to drip blood. He took in a hiss of air, he needed to be more careful, especially with how smug Hitotsume looked. Alright, if that's how it was going to be then he would do everything in his power to win.

“As I said, a disgrace.”

Rikuo held his blade in front of him, parrying the next swing. He needed to attack, he needed to retaliate. He moved, leaving behind an after image, a copy, while hiding himself. The yokai swung, cutting through the image he had left behind and giving Rikuo the chance to strike. He swung, slicing through the yokai's throat. The wound on his chest hurt but his blood was pounding through him. He closed his eyes for a moment, tipping his head back, before turning and facing Hitotsume.

“Answer my question, Hitotsume, why did you decide to do this?” He remained ready, he knew the one eyed yokai wasn't finished yet and likely wouldn't be until he was dead.

“We deserve a strong leader. Regardless of what you are, regardless of what you can do, your father would give you the position as Third. You are weak, this display of yours may show that you have some strength but you were a fool to come alone.” Hitotsume motioned to the other two yokai with him who each took a step forward.

“Who said I came alone?” Rikuo asked, looking into the eye of Hitotsume.

One of the two yokai suddenly turned and sliced through his companion. Finally, Mezu had done something to even the odds. It was Gozu who acted next, bursting through one wall and grabbing the, now confused, yokai who had attacked his comrade before going through the wall on the other side. That left Rikuo and Hitotsume standing in the ruined hallway. Kuro and the others rushed into the hallway behind the one eyed yokai. It was obvious they had been fighting by Tsurara's rather ruffled appearance.

“Now, Hitotsume, we fight and I show you my strength.”

He wasn’t sure where Hitotsume had gotten the blade but he did know it hurt as it left a cut across his chest, creating an ‘X’ shape with the previous wound. He brought his own blade down, returning the favor. His kimono was ruined, blood had seeped into the black cloth, at least it wasn’t his favorite one. He dodged back, bringing his blade in an upward arc, the tip of his katana barely slicing up his chest.

“For as big as you are, you’re fast, Hitotsume.” He said, keeping a wary eye on him. He needed to end this quickly.

He looked like he was about to say something but quickly shut his mouth, glaring at him. Rikuo managed to dodge the next flurry of blows, darting behind him and holding his blade to his throat.

“Do you yield?” Rikuo asked, pressing the blade into the skin of his throat, watching blood well up, “you’re strong, I would hate to lose you but if you don’t surrender, if you don’t stop this madness, you will leave me with no choice.”

The one eyed yokai’s blade clattered to the floor, “you would let me live? After all of this?”

“You have been loyal to my grandfather and my father, to the Nura Clan, until now. I’m willing to give you another chance but there are some conditions. You will be monitored at all times and your hier will remain at the main house. Do you accept these terms?”

Hitotsume sighed heavily, “I accept.”

Rikuo smirked, pulling his blade away and returning it to its sheath, “be at the main house tomorrow to accept your sentence.” His wounds throbbed as he turned away, walking to his waiting team. He refused to show weakness, especially after defeating him, “let’s go home.” He said softly, lucky that he was able to keep his steps steady. Once they were outside he took a deep breath to focus himself, “shit.”

Tsurara looked at him curiously, wrapping an arm around him to help support him, “what’s wrong, master?”

“Zen,” he laughed softly, “the bastard was right, he’s going to rub my face in this for awhile.”

Kubinashi laughed softly, “you should have let us take care of him.”

He shook his head, “no, I had to do it. If I didn’t it would be seen as a weakness and you all know it. The appearance of weakness is what got me into this in the first place. Because I was raised human and then chose to become yokai. Four years hasn’t been enough to make up for the six that I missed and I know it. I need to work harder and get stronger so that I can be a proper commander and so I can protect you the same as you protect me.”

Tsurara smiled at him, “you  _ are _ strong, Master Rikuo, but please, let us protect you too.”

“I will let you be my strength.” He replied, smiling at her in return.

-Break-

Rihan sighed, this investigation was not going their way. It seemed as though Rikuo was stirring things up and it was making Rihan and Nurarihyon’s work much harder. To top it off, Rikuo had left, taking three others with him, it was suspicious to say the least. Had he already discovered the culprit? No, it had barely been five days since they had decided on this contest. Unless, unless Gyuki knew something and they had just handed Rikuo the win. Gyuki  _ had _ come to the main house on his own after all, had he come to share information? He hoped that wasn’t the case, he really wanted to win this one.

When Rikuo was practically carried in by Kurotabo he knew exactly what had happened. Rikuo had figured everything out and he had dealt with it on his own. Rihan was on his feet immediately, moving over to check on his son.

“What happened?” He asked, looking at the four of them.

Rikuo looked up at him, leaning against Kuro, “I win.” He said with a smirk, “Hitotsume Nyudo was behind it. I’ll tell you all about it after I listen to a lecture from Zen.”

Rihan moved to take his son from Kuro, helping him lean into him, “you’ll listen to a lecture from me too, let’s get you to Zen. I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say.”

Rikuo huffed as he was led to Zen’s temporary room. The moment they stepped inside Zen sighed, “I told you so.” He said, “I told you that you were going to get injured, you’re lucky that’s all that happened.” He tugged off the top of Rikuo’s kimono, examining the wounds.

“You knew he was going off?” Rihan asked, his attention on Zen.

“I warned him and I’m sure he didn’t go alone. I knew he wouldn’t be killed and you did make this a contest. You knew he would want to win.” He paused, reaching behind him and dipping his fingers in ointment, “besides, you gave him Gyuki as a partner, he wouldn’t have let anything too bad happen.”

Rikuo let out a heavy sigh, “I’m right here, you don’t have to talk over me.”

“Oh, Rikuo, we’re not done talking yet.” Zen hissed, almost viciously tending to his wounds, “how can you be so stupid? You could have won the bet if you just went to Master Rihan and told him who it was, you didn’t have to go out there and get yourself beat up.”

“Yes, I did! I had to go and take care of it myself! To prove that I’m worthy.” He took in a hiss of air as Zen bandaged his chest a little too tightly.

“I get it, Rikuo, you wanted to prove that you could take care of it yourself. Alright, tomorrow we'll leave Hitotsume's punishment to you. Whatever you decide we will abide by.” Rigan said calmly, “after this, you need to be a little more careful. Don't just run in headlong or at least tell me before you do.”

“Alright, next time I'll at least let you know.”

“Good,” Rihan turned his gaze to Zen, “make sure the bandages are good and tight, we don't want him bleeding again.”

“Hey! That hurt! Not so tight you damn bird!”

Rihan smirked as he left the squabbling pair, “I'll see you at breakfast, Rikuo, be ready to face the clan heads with your decision.”

-Break-

Gyuki was proud of Rikuo, was impressed by how he handled the situation. Gozi and Mezu had told him what happened once they met up at the main house the following morning. What he wasn't exactly sure about was what Rikuo was planning to do now. He knew Hitotsume wasn't killed, which meant he had something planned, and he was sure the First and Second would leave this situation up to Rikuo's discretion.

He took his seat, looking at the other clan heads as they filtered in. Hitotsume was the last in aside from the three Nura’s. He took his seat quietly. Rikuo came in first followed by Rihan, and Nurarihyon. They sat side by side at the front of the room. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence before Rihan finally spoke.

“Regarding the recent incident. I've decided that Rikuo will be in charge of deciding what is to be done.” He paused, letting his words sink in, “I will hear no arguments or complaints about whatever he decides.”

“I have decided that in response to Hitotsume's actions he will be monitored and his heir will remain at the main house until further notice.” Rikuo stated calmly, “his loyalty has never been in question until now and losing him would not benefit the clan as a whole.”

Before anyone could object, Gyuki spoke, “you have shown strength and wisdom with regards to this situation, I know that you will continue to make decisions with the good of the clan in mind.”

Rikuo shot him a grateful look but it was Rihan who spoke, “now, onto other business.”

-Break-

Nura looked down at Rikuo from his perch in the tree, “I think that went well.”

Rikuo smiled up at him, “you mean aside from the chest and neck wounds? I think so too.”

“Kiyotsugu called, the next meeting is tomorrow and I thought you might like to go.” Nura said, pulling out his pipe.

“I'd like that.” He paused, “do you have any sake?”

Nura laughed, abandoning the pipe in favor of drink, “of course, this is our mind, our shared space, we can have whatever we want.”

Rikuo took the dish when it was offered, “I’m pretty sure that these wounds aren't going to be healed tomorrow. It's going to be fun explaining to them what happened.”

Nura let out a huff, taking a drink, “tell them that you fell while running with a katana.”

He almost spit out his sake but managed to swallow it, “what? Who would believe that? Did I fall three times or roll down the stairs?”

“Fine, I suppose you’re not  _ that _ clumsy. How about, a training accident? They’re not going to see the bandages on your chest, hopefully, so that just leaves the one on your neck.”

“I guess that works.” Rikuo sighed, looking down at the sake in his dish, “I never imagined you, we,  _ I _ could be this strong.”

He chuckled softly, “we are two sides to a whole, I do draw strength from you. You know that, don’t you? I’ll be relying on you more as I properly learn Matoi. You have a strength all your own and it takes  _ both _ of us together to make us powerful.”

Rikuo took a drink before looking back up at him, “did Kiyotsugu tell you anything about the meeting tomorrow?”

He shook his head, “no, but it is Kana’s birthday, maybe he has something planned for that. She is turning thirteen after all. To think, she gets to be an adult before me.”

He rolled his eyes, “she’s not an adult, you know. Humans don’t become adults until they’re twenty.”

“Well, maybe we should take her out regardless.” He smirked, “show her how yokai celebrate adulthood.”

Rikuo swallowed hard, shaking his head, “oh, no, no, no, don’t do that. There’s no way she would be able to handle that and if they found out she was human…” He cringed, “let’s just not think about that.”

“Who do you take me for? Like I would let anything happen to her. Besides, all the humans in that club need a little fear drilled into them. They look for yokai not realizing the danger they’re in. You want to keep them safe, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but not like that. I am totally against this idea, you’re not taking her out.”

Nura huffed, “fine, fine, I’ll let you out early tomorrow so you can get her a present, how about that?”

“Deal.”

His human side was such a spoilsport. She would have fun but he was right, if the yokai found out she was human it might end badly, regardless of his presence or not. He looked down at Rikuo, he was going to take her out anyway, if the opportunity presented itself.

-Break-

Rikuo crossed his arms over his chest, looking up the sakura tree at Nura, “I can’t believe you did that.”

Nura feigned ignorance, taking a drag off his pipe, “what did I do?” He asked, “I mean, I did let you back out after saving Kana.”

He let out a derisive snort, “yes, after you saved her  _ and _ took her to a yokai bar you decided that you could let me back out to wish her a happy birthday. Especially after we had a talk yesterday about the fact that you weren’t going to do anything of the sort.”

“Think of it as my reward for saving her life. You didn’t want her to be consumed by Ungaikyo, did you?”

“Well, no, of course not, but you didn’t have to take her out after.” He replied.

Nura let out a huff of smoke, “she wanted to know more about me, did you want me deny her birthday wish?”

“Knowing more about you involved taking her to the bakeneko bar? You could have just, I don’t know, gone to the park or something. Instead you took a thirteen year old girl out drinking.” He sighed, “you know she’s human, she’s not like you, like us.”

“She needed to understand the reality of the world, of our world. Her crush on me is ill advised, don’t you think she needs to know that?” Nura asked in reply, “by taking her into the lion’s den and informing her of what could happen if they found out she was human it forced her to face reality. You want her to stay safe, this is a good way to do it.”

“Yes, I want her safe, but I don’t think it had the result you were looking for.” He said, taking his usual seat at the foot of the tree.

He scowled, looking down at him, “what do you mean?”

“You want to know what she told me after I went and saw her? You were a little drunk, I doubt you remember.” He knew he sounded smug but the only way to deal with Nura was to fight fire with fire.

“I’m not going to beg you to tell me.” He looked up at the sky, seemingly disinterested.

He examined his nails as he spoke, “you just made her crush on you more! She likes you, like a lot.”

Nura blinked down at him, “what?”

“You heard me, she wants to meet you again.”

He sighed before tipping his head back and laughing, “stupid, stupid girl. This is your fault you know.”

Rikuo scowled, “how is it my fault that she likes you?”

“Because you have a crush on her I can’t do anything too drastic to deter her. You do know that there’s no way we’re going to be with her, right? I like her, she’s a nice girl, but never going to happen romantically.”

It was Rikuo’s turn to sputter, “I-I do not! She’s just a friend! Besides, we’re too young for romance.”

“I was thinking about who  _ I _ would like to be with. We are almost adults, maybe it’s time to make a decision. Of course, we have plenty of time.” Nura said thoughtfully, “although, between you and me, I really enjoy spending time with Tsurara.”

Rikuo groaned, this wasn’t turning out how he wanted it to. He had wanted to chastise Nura for what he did, not talk about romance. Why did his yokai side have to be so, devious? He needed to regain control of the situation before Nura took advantage.

“Since you did exactly what we said you wouldn’t do I think I deserve something in return.” He said, changing the subject, “I think you should let me go out tomorrow with the Kiyojuji Paranormal Investigation Squad.”

Nura glared down at him, “two days in a week?”

“Kana told Kiyotsugu about what happened. He wants to go out looking for yokai tomorrow. There was something about reports of yokai near one of the shrines outside of town.”

He sighed heavily, “if there really are yokai around one of the shrines I should deal with it.” He paused briefly, sighing again, “fine, but the moment you can’t protect them I’m going to take back over. Deal?”

Rikuo kept his expression schooled into one of indifference, it wouldn’t do to show his other side just how happy he was about the whole thing, Nura might try to trick him to get more out of their agreement, “deal.”

“If I’m letting you out tomorrow, I’m going to leave you tonight and go out. You might want to get some rest because I won’t be.” With that he hopped from the tree and disappeared, leaving Rikuo sitting at the base of it to rest.

-Break-

Rikuo had a plan for his night out and it didn't involve his usual shadows. In fact, they weren't in any state to be following him anywhere, except maybe Ao, but he was too busy in his drinking contest with Kejoro, he wasn't going to win. She could drink anyone under the table including his old man. Since he had taken care of his main obstacle he was able to walk right out the gate with a jug of sake in hand. Of course he still used his fear to hide his presence, not that it mattered too much. No one was out on the streets, no humans at least, and if the yokai who were didn't know who he was, well, he was just another one of them walking down the street.

The whole reason for this outing, aside from the fact he just wanted to prove he could get away without anyone noticing, was to check out this shrine the humans were going to the next day. He wanted to check and see how prepared he needed to be and if the yokai was there and was hostile he could just take care of it now. That way his human side could have some fun.

He hummed softly, taking a drink from the jug as he headed up the steps to the shrine. It was a little creepy at night, he liked it. The way the shadows from the trees spread over the overgrown path. No one really came here anymore, it was a little sad.

“Is that sake?” A soft voice echoed around him as he approached the shrine, “have you come to see me?” The voice was female and filled with happiness.

Rikuo smirked, “that depends on who you are.” He replied.

“I mean no harm, no, none at all. I'm here to make your worries drift away. If you've come to see me, that is, I can bring such luck, such joy. Come, come, let's share a drink.”

This was very possibly a fortuitous turn of events. He stepped into the shrine, looking around for a moment before finally spotting the one who had been speaking to him. It was a woman with long black hair and as she turned to face him he couldn't help but smile.

“Haradashi,” he knew who this one was, even though he had never seen one before he knew what she was by the large face on her stomach, “shall we share this delicious sake that I've brought?”

He took a seat in the middle of the floor, retrieving two dishes from his sleeve. She settled down across from him, accepting it when he handed one of them over. She was harmless, bringing happiness and good luck instead of fear. The kids would have fun tomorrow.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, good nurarihyon. I fear I know not your name.”

He smiled, “Rikuo Nura, my grandfather is Nurarihyon.” Of course that was the type of yokai he was but being called that made him feel old.

“Lord Nura, I am honored, yes, honored, to have you in my home.”

“More?” He asked, noticing she had finished her dish. She nodded and he poured, “tomorrow you're going to have some visitors, some humans, actually, young ones by human standards. I came to see what kind of yokai they would be meeting with.”

She nodded, “they shall leave here happier than when they came.”

“Oh, I don't doubt that. Not one bit but I'll be here in disguise to make sure everyone stays safe. I'm not sure if they'll have the onmyoji with them, I hope not, just be aware.”

“An onmyoji? No, no, I will be careful.” She said, taking a drink.

He refilled their dishes, he was starting to really feel the alcohol, getting home was going to be interesting but he was up to the challenge, “even if she is there I won’t let her do anything to harm you.”

She looked slightly confused, “you would protect one who is not part of your night parade?” She asked.

He smirked, “who said you would never be part of my night parade? Besides, you mean no harm to the humans or other yokai, you’re not a threat.”

“I find myself a threat to sadness,” she replied, “but it is true, I mean no harm. Tomorrow, if all goes well, I would gladly join your night parade, Lord Nura.”

He poured the last of the sake into her dish, “well, I’ll just have to make sure everything goes well, won’t I?”

-Break-

Rikuo pulled on his coat before tugging his shoes on. He was really looking forward to tonight. They were all meeting just outside the small forest where the shrine was located. The others had gotten together after school, which meant they would be coming together. It was still light out, not that he had anything to really worry about in the dark. The only thing that he had to fear about something happening was Nura coming out. He couldn't even remember what happened the previous night. He had gone to sleep like Nura suggested but when he woke up he was on the outside and had a massive headache. He was sure the bastard had been drinking and left him to deal with the hangover.

When he finally got to their meeting spot he noticed Yura wasn't with them, “hey, Kiyotsugu, where's Keikain? Is she not coming?” He asked as he made his way over to the group.

“She said she couldn't make it tonight, something about needing to train. I tried to tell her this would be the perfect place to train but she said it was important.” He looked up the path, “well! Let us depart!” He pointed up the hill, “to the shrine!”

Kana smiled at him as Kiyotsugu began to lead the way up the path, “it’s good to see you, Rikuo. Are things going alright? When are you going to come back to school?” She asked, her shoulder brushing against his.

He gave her a small smile in return, looking up at the trees, “Kana, you know I’m not coming back, it’s been four years. I’m more than happy to keep spending time with you though! I just have responsibilities at home that I can’t really get out of.”

She sighed, “I know, I just keep hoping.”

He stopped walking, putting a hand on her shoulder, “you can come visit me, I just need some warning ahead of time and we talk on the phone all the time too, even though I don’t go to school we can still spend time together.”

The smile she gave him was weak but she nodded, “we have to spend more time together.”

His yokai side was not going to be happy about this, not at all, “come on, let’s catch up.”

They hurried to catch up, Kiyotsugu and the others had stopped at the top of the steps, looking at the rundown shrine. Immediately, Rikuo had a sense of deja vu, he just  _ knew _ he had been here before.

Rikuo stepped past his friends, “I'll go first.” He could feel that someone was here, although they didn't seem malevolent he didn't want to risk it.

He slid open the doors and looked around inside. It was dark, but there was a jug of what looked like it might have once been sake and two dishes. Someone had been here recently or was still there. He narrowed his eyes at the jug and dishes before letting them fall closed and just feeling what was there.

“Nura, you bastard.” He hissed out, his other half had been here, his yokai side had a very distinct energy to it, and he could feel traces of it here. 

Now that he thought about it, that could be a good thing. If there was still a yokai here, and he could feel that there was, they probably weren't harmful. If they were he was sure Nura would have done something about it.

“Rikuo, do you see anything?” Kana asked from the door.

“I think it's safe.” He replied, it certainly felt safe.

They all stepped inside, the door sliding closed behind them. They all jumped, turning to see what was there. A black haired woman was standing there, looking at the six young teens.

“Visitors, yes, visitors, so good of you to come. It's just as he said, that you would come.” She smiled at them, “come, come, I am Haradashi.”

“Haradashi? Are you going to dance?” Kiyotsugu asked, looking excited.

She beamed at him, “yes, yes! I shall dance!”

They couldn't help but laugh the moment they saw the face on her stomach. Rikuo was happy, he was going to have to thank Nura. Everyone looked so happy, it was refreshing, but also a little worrying. This certainly wasn't going to make them afraid of yokai. Well, he could have some fun tonight too, after all Nura did to make sure they would be safe, he would just have to have a talk with him when he got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided, thanks to a conversation with my Lost Boys co-author, that I am going to do this in arcs. This part marks the end of the first arc. I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do for the second arc yet but please let me know what you think and if there are any requests I'm happy to take them under advisement. I hope you enjoyed this.


	3. Arc 2 - Happy Birthday

The day was finally here. Rikuo was finally turning thirteen and Rihan had planned quite the celebration for him. Everything was prepared, all of the subsidiary clans had been invited, food and drink had been acquired, and Rihan had finally decided what he was going to give his son. Nenekirimaru. It was time he hand the blade over, now that he was of age, it would serve him well, the same as it had Rihan and Nurarihyon. He wrapped it carefully in cloth before placing it next to Rikuo’s futon, he could have it when he came to bed, or, more likely, when he woke up in the morning. They had enough alcohol to drop even Kejoro, that woman could drink anyone under the table. Rihan planned to do his own share of drinking, after Rikuo came into his life he at least pretended to be a little more responsible. Now was the time for celebration! He looked out the doors to the parlor, spotting Rikuo sitting in the Sakura tree, and smirked, he had just the perfect way to start out this party.

-Break-

Rikuo sat in the sakura tree on his favorite branch overlooking the small pond that Kappa usually resided in. He could hear preparations going on inside for his birthday. It was nice to be able to take a moment to relax and not worry about anything. Not that he had much to worry about at the moment. Things would change after his birthday, he would have to start taking on more responsibilities, not that it bothered him much. He was actually looking forward to it.

A soft sigh escaped his lips, were they done yet? He got his answer when he suddenly felt the familiar impact of his father's foot in his side and the feeling of ice cold water enveloping him. He splashed down into the pond, unable to react due to the speed of Rihan's attack and the fact that he just wasn't paying attention. He gasped for air as he came up out of the water, leaping to the edge of the pool and glaring at his laughing father.

“What was that for?” He felt like a wet dog and his kimono was soaked, he was going to have to change.

“Happy birthday, Rikuo.” Rihan said with a smile, moving over to him and patting him on the head, “you looked asleep up there, I had to wake you up.”

“Wake me up?” Rikuo raised an eyebrow, “really? Well, how about you get a wakeup call too!” He grabbed his arm, twisting and tossing him into the pond, “serves you right.”

Rihan hopped out of the pond, “you little brat, you're lucky it's your birthday. Let's go get changed so we can start the celebration.”

Rikuo changed into a black kimono before heading back outside. In the amount of time it took for him to change, the other yokai had set up tables of food and drink. He smiled, his dip in the pond forgotten as he picked up a dish of sake. Rihan joined him soon after, holding up his drink in a toast.

“We drink to my son, who on this day has become an adult. Tonight, we celebrate!”

A chorus of cheers erupted from the gathered crowd and everyone took a drink, this signifying the beginning of the party. Rikuo wasn't sure how much time had passed but he was beginning to feel the alcohol when something completely unexpected happened. It was late evening when some very unexpected guests arrived.

“Master Rikuo! Did you want another drink?” Ao asked, holding up a jug of sake.

He tipped his head back and grinned, holding up his dish before immediately freezing at what he saw. His human friends were standing on the edge of the crowd staring at him in surprise.

“Rikuo?” Kana said softly, a wrapped present in her hands.

Well, this was unexpected and now they would know the truth. He didn't want to deal with this. Whatever affects from the alcohol he had been enjoying were gone in an instant. The entire courtyard was wrapped in silence as everyone stared at the humans.

“Ao, where's my drink?” He asked, eyes locked on the humans.

“Nura, you, you're a yokai?!” Shima asked with a yelp from behind Kiyotsugu.

Kiyotsugu looked ecstatic and it made Rikuo cringe, “yes.” He said calmly before looking at Ao, his dish still held in the air, “Ao, don't just stare at them, it's a little late now. Just pour me a drink.”

Ao seemed to come out of his stupor, refilling Rikuo's dish before looking back at the humans, “Master Rikuo, do you want them to leave?” He asked softly so they couldn't hear.

He shook his head, taking a drink, “no, they can stay.” He turned his gaze back to the humans, “well, come join us.”

Rihan chose that moment to come up behind the group of humans, “yes, welcome, come, there's candy and plenty of food. I'm not sure if we have anything to drink for the five of you though,” he looked at Kana, “Kana, why don't you go find Wakana and see what we have, she was heading for the kitchen last time I saw her.”

She jumped slightly when he said her name, “umm, alright,” she looked down at the present in her hands before moving to Rikuo, “happy birthday.”

He took it from her, “thank you, Kana. How about I open it when you get back?” He would let his human side have it, maybe making him come out now would be a good idea, he wasn't really completely sure what to do in this situation. At least Yura wasn't there too.

Kiyotsugu moved closer, dragging Shima with him while Torii and Maki stayed where they were, looking nervously out at the sea of yokai.

“Maki, Torii, why don't you come with me?” Kana said, giving them a small smile. The two girls were quick to go with her.

Kiyotsugu sat down next to Rikuo, “Nura, you, you're him! You're the one that saved us from that tunnel!” He was excited, ignoring the sea of yokai around them in favor of focusing on Rikuo.

“Yes.” He replied, taking another drink, sticking to one word answers unless they pressed him for more information.

“But before that you were human and we've seen you as a human since then, what happened?” He pressed, leaning forward expectantly.

Rikuo looked around at the gathering, “come on, everyone, it's just a few humans, let's have some fun!” Thankfully that seemed to be the key and everything picked up again, Ao even refilling his dish before going off to find Kuro. He turned his attention back to Kiyotsugu, “my mom is human, my dad is hanyo, half human, so I'm mostly human. I decided to follow my yokai blood when I saved you and gave up my humanity. Just because I did that doesn't mean I'm not still partially human, I have a human side, but I've chosen to live as and be a yokai.”

“Are you, are you drinking sake?!” Shima asked, eyes wide, “you’re only thirteen!”

He looked down at his dish, taking a drink while locking his eyes on the human, “as far as everyone here is concerned I’m an adult. So, doesn’t that mean I can drink?” He replied, “besides, if I can kill someone, surely I can drink sake or smoke a pipe.”

“Kill?!” Shima squeaked, both humans looked a little nervous and Rikuo couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ve killed more than just Gagoze, it isn’t uncommon. I keep trying to tell you yokai are dangerous. Most of us don’t eat children like Gagoze did but that doesn’t mean we’re harmless kittens.”

Kiyotsugu regained his composure first, “but you don’t hurt people, you saved us.”

Rikuo smiled, shaking his head, “I don’t hurt humans, unless they deserve it. Not every human is good just as not every yokai is bad. You saw that at the shrine with Haradashi.” He looked out at the crowd, “Kurotabo and Aotabo are both protectors of children,” he motioned toward the pair drinking and laughing, “on the other hand there are yokai like Gagoze who eat children. Then there are the little yokai like Natto Kozo and Tofu Kozo who are relatively harmless.” He paused, taking another drink, “humans aren’t that different. You have a strength all your own but you aren’t limited to good or evil either. Do you think I’m evil because I’ve killed? What defines good and evil? If humans are good and yokai are evil, why would yokai save and protect humans?” He looked down at his now empty dish, “I need another drink.”

“Master Rikuo, your dish is empty!” Natto Kozo came over with a smaller jug of sake, maybe a little big for the small yokai but it was more fitting. He immediately refilled it before looking at the pair of humans, “thirsty? Want some?” He asked, holding up the jug. They both shook there heads and he shrugged, “suit yourself.” He looked back at Rikuo, “how long are they going to be here?” He asked softly, “they’re not fun.”

Rikuo laughed, taking a drink, “as long as they please, just keep refilling my drink.”

It was then that Kana and the other two girls came out of the house with a tray of drinks. They seemed much more at ease, whatever Wakana had told them seemed to do the trick. The trio came over, sitting down with Kiyotsugu and Shima, offering them drinks before turning their attention to Rikuo.

“So, Rikuo, what happened in the tunnel? Why didn’t you come back to school after that?” Kana asked, taking a drink of whatever was in her cup.

He sighed, did he really have to go through all this again? Well, it was a slightly different question than earlier and they hadn’t been here for his explanation, “let me start at the beginning,” he took a deep drink before holding his dish out to be refilled, Natto Kozo was there in a flash, “my mom is human, my dad is hanyo, that means I’m mostly human but when I got home that day and discovered all of you had been trapped in that tunnel I felt as though I had to do something. I knew I couldn’t do anything on my own but being human and living as a human meant I didn’t have much authority. I decided to give up my humanity in return for the ability to save you. I’m sure you know, words have power, and my words in that moment possessed a great amount of strength. Once I had saved you I thought I would go back to being human, I didn’t. I became yokai. Do you really think I could go to a  _ human _ school as a yokai?”

“Then why have you appeared human since then? That day we all came over for the first time in years, you were human.” Kana pointed out.

“I made a deal with my human side. I’ve lived as a yokai for years, I’m not giving up my place in the outside world. You can call me selfish if you like but this is my decision. That’s not to say I won’t let him out again, that he won’t spend time with you.”

Kiyotsugu scowled, “you talk like you’re two different people.”

He really needed to drink more, this was not how he wanted to spend his birthday. He drained the rest of his sake in one drink before holding his dish out for another, “we are and yet we aren’t. We’ve been working through some things, becoming more at ease with each other, and eventually I think we’ll merge together a little more. I can’t be sure though.”

“What’s it like? Being a yokai.” Shima asked softly.

Rikuo rolled his eyes, “what’s it like being a human?” He shot back, taking yet another drink. He was starting to feel it again, thankfully.

_ “I want to open Kana’s present.” _ Finally his human side spoke up, the brat, he had been smug and silent since they showed up. Rikuo was definitely going to give him the worst hangover of his life.

_ “You want to open it? Fine.” _ He finished his dish of sake before setting it aside and allowing himself to shift. It would give him a break from the humans at least.

He was curious what Kana had gotten him. He relaxed in their mindspace, watching and listening to them interact. They seemed much more comfortable now that his human side was out. He pulled out his pipe, waiting for his human side to open the gift. Inside the carefully wrapped package was a soft, dark blue scarf and within that was a silver picture frame with a picture of the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol in it. The only one missing was Yura. He wasn’t sure when the picture was taken but the background looked like it was from when they went to that shrine and saw Haradashi. He had been sleeping at the time so he didn’t remember everything that happened.

He gave his human side a little privacy with the humans, it would make him happy, and besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He got his answer when he finally took back over. They were all in a flying cart, from the looks of it he had borrowed it from Zen. The humans were crowded around the windows, leaving him sitting by himself with his humans side laughing in his mind. He was in for it now, there was no way his human half wasn’t going to deal with the hangover tomorrow and there was no way he wasn’t going to make it the worst one he had  _ ever _ experienced.

“Rikuo! This is amazing!” Kana said, laughing from the window.

“Glad you like it.” He said with a soft grumble.

They all immediately turned and looked at him. He knew his voice was different as a yokai and they noticed it too, “oh, you’re back.” Kana blushed at him and he shook his head, tucking his hands into his sleeves.

He didn’t think they would appreciate him smoking but there wasn’t any sake in the cart either, “yes, I’m back. I thought I would give you some time together but I didn’t expect to come back in Zen’s carriage. I assume this was his idea?”

Kana nodded before they all turned back to the windows, “yes,” she gasped, “it’s so pretty up here!”

They found such joy in something so simple, it was almost, cute. He shook his head, they really should go back so he could continue celebrating but at the same time he didn’t want to spoil their fun. They would stay out a little longer then go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have to decide what to do for the next arc so please, let me know what you think!


End file.
